Down Feathers
by EfeealteesAngel
Summary: They only occurred when faced with him- Satoshi Hiwatari. (Daisuke x Satoshi)
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: This story starts where episode eight of the anime of D.N. Angel leaves off. This means his interest in Riku will not be a factor in this story. Elements from both the manga and anime are used.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own D.N Angel , manga or anime, nor any of the characters or story line originally created by Yukiru Sugisaki.**

* * *

Chapter 1

Daisuke wandered home from the day's classes, burdened by his little secret; it pulled at his mind, tugged at his every thought. It invaded his dreams with pleasurable fantasies, ones he desperately wanted to play out in reality. He really hoped for even a small fragment of one to be true... But he knew it could never be.

_Was_ it even for him? He felt waves of embarrassment and joy when confronted, like when he was interested in Risa, but he was past that time and onto an even deeper sensation; was it _love _he now felt, or something else… There was no other way to explain or dispel it, but still, Daisuke didn't know whether to trust these feelings or bar them.

They only occurred when faced with _him_\- Satoshi Hiwatari. If he so much as heard the name, he was swallowed up by his own emotions; his mind ran wild with thoughts of looking into Satoshi's sky-blue eyes which were so full of thought themselves, gently stroking his blue hair, and planting a kiss on his pale lips.

Lost in his daydream, Daisuke slammed into a passer-by,

"S-sorry." He barely said. Bowing a bit, he gripped his school bag and sprinted off. "Why me?" He asked himself as he ran.

**'Why _not_ you?'** Dark teased.

"Dark?!" Daisuke jumped a bit and stopped running. "Have you been... Listening in on me?" A worried tone was slowly creeping into his voice.

**'Oh, there's been more than just _listening_…'** Dark replied sounding bored. He grinned in the back of Daisuke's head.

"Y-you mean-?!" Daisuke tried to hide his embarrassment before Dark's translucent form appeared in front of him,

**'You really think that first dream was a coincidence?'** Dark asked sincerely, a smirk playing on his face.

Daisuke thought back to it- Risa's cooking was much better in it than reality. He blushed, remembering Satoshi.

**'Oh boy. You've got it bad, huh?'** Dark said in realization. Daisuke felt his cheeks flush hot with irritation sparked by Dark's comment. Dark patted Daisuke's back, **'Why don't you just tell him? Just play it cool and-'**

"_It's not that simple! I can't play it off coolly like you!_"Daisuke yelled suddenly at Dark, eyes scrunched shut in anger and confusion. He instantly felt bad for the outburst and shrunk away. Dark's hands went up,

**'Whoa,'** he said calmly, somewhat surprised to see Daisuke lose his temper, **'Okay, okay. I'll leave this to you, then.'**

Leaving it at that, he vanished.

In more distress and feeling more flustered than before, Daisuke began to run home again, and this time he wasn't interrupted by anything set aside the door. He opened it quickly, closing it the same way, and bolted upstairs before anyone could say "hello".

Daisuke dropped his bag and fell on his bed in one swift motion, heaving out a sad and relieved sigh. He just needed a break, but he couldn't seem to catch one.

Sitting up, he went in search of his sketchbook and a good pencil. This would help take his mind off of it if nothing else, and if it didn't... Daisuke shook his head dangerously fast.

Sharpening the pencil, he closed his eyes. As they opened again, he brought his hand to the blank sheet of sketchbook paper and let it move on its own. It drew the pencil across, making swift, curved lines. They feathered occasionally, stopping so they looked soft at the tips, nearly transparent at other points. Other spots became darker and more defined, some sharper.

Orange sunlight winked off of the page at him. Coming out of his daze-like state, Daisuke turned an eye to the clock in the corner of the room-

"Five already?" He said to himself. Lucky him, he thought; he had been able to distract himself for a little over two-and-a-half hours.

He sighed as he looked back down to his sketchbook. What had taken him so long to draw, again? The sketchbook was instantly tossed away from him in surprise.

"N... N-no way!" Daisuke yelled at it.

"Dai!" A voice called from a floor down, "Come eat before you head out!"

"Thank goodness." Daisuke whispered, glad to have found a way to leave what he had seen behind. But as he ran out, he knew that there was no denying that he had been the one who drew that- on the once blank piece of paper now lay Satoshi's portrait, drawn with so much life and as delicately as Daisuke viewed him; his eyes carried on, looking into the distance.

* * *

Daisuke sat, stirring the now-cold soup that had been placed, sometime ago, on the table in front of him. He stared at it, not quite sure if he wanted to eat or not right now; after the surprise he just had, his appetite had all but disappeared and was now replaced with an un-comfortable, hollow feeling. He hated how often he had been getting it lately.

... So, he was gay? That wasn't _that _bad, right? He wasn't necessarily embarrassed about that part- sure, a bit confused on all the new feelings toward a guy, but he was still swept off his feet just _thinking_ about Satoshi- he was more scared someone would find out. Then he would be embarrassed.

Dark had already known about it, and Daisuke supposed he supported him in his own way, but he thought the possibility of a few more people finding out was inevitably high- namely, his family members.

And then, in his eyes, it would _all _be over.

"Daisuke?" A voice interrupted his deep thoughts. He dropped the spoon he held into the bowl and turned his head to where it came from briskly; Emiko looked at him with the face of a concerned mother, "Are you okay? You're not eating very much." She looked at his bowl.

Daisuke's eyes grew wide. He had to think of a good excuse, fast,

"U-uh... I-I'm just, not feeling all that well." He scratched his head.

"Are you still going to be able to steal tonight?" Emiko quickly went in search of a thermometer.

"Oh, yeah!" He laughed, a bit too fake, "I'll be fine, it's just a cold!" Emiko looked at him, sensing something was off, but smiled and said okay.

After Daisuke had a few more spoonfuls of soup, he ran upstairs, relieved. He had dodged a very large and surprising bullet. If she had kept asking questions... No time to worry about 'if's'. For whatever reason, his mom had decided to move the time up from its usual place on the warning letter, around nine or ten, to 6:30. So he had very little time left to waste on 'if's'; he had seen a clock on his way upstairs, and it already read a little past six.

He knew that in order to get to the house that bought the artwork he was to steal by 6:30, he would have to get ready soon- and by get ready, he meant "transform".

Obviously an old photo of Risa would no longer cut it. Daisuke's ember eyes flicked anxiously over to where the drawing lay on his bed. He thought- no, knew- that would trigger it. It had nearly made him transform the past few times he had seen Satoshi in the fall uniform and for this, Dark teased him until he thought Daisuke had had enough.

Daisuke inched over to the sketchpad that still lay face-up on his bed. He swept his eyes over the drawing of Satoshi, letting his mind take him to memories of Satoshi's aura of poise and character, his silent charisma. Instantly, an intense heat filled his core; it blazed so harshly that it felt as if he would melt away. He let the throbbing warmth consume him, burning him away until only darkness remained. And indeed, there was darkness.

Dark sighed in slight exhaustion,

**"Well Daisuke, ready to head out?"** Daisuke was quiet. **"Hey, what's wrong?"**

'Dark,' Daisuke started timidly, 'I-I'm s-' Dark's laugh interrupted him. 'What?'

**"Don't even say it; I get it."** Dark nodded and went to slip into better clothes for the job.

'Y-yea...'

**"With!"** As soon as Dark had his wings, he stepped onto the edge of Daisuke's patio and left for that night's theft.

* * *

That Friday was a tiring one for Daisuke- even though the theft had been successful last night, he and Dark ran into a lot of trouble with all the traps Satoshi had laid; they were actually nearly caught. Trying to escape those traps carried the duo late into the night, giving not a bit of thanks to the earlier calling time.

Daisuke once again trudged home, this time drained of all energy. But a familiar sight caught his eye and forced some of that lost energy back into him- a blue-haired boy dressed in Daisuke's school's uniform leaned on the pillar of a near-by building reading a pocket-sized book.

Daisuke's heart nearly jumped out of his chest with the amount of surprise that struck him; it only worsened when Satoshi's head came up from the book he had in his hand. Daisuke's first instinct was to hide, so he ran behind a tree. But that didn't help him toward his goal- bright red hair jutted from the edges of the tree's cover.

Satoshi closed his book and walked over to the red-head, adjusting his glasses as he went.

Daisuke could only pray that he hadn't been spotted, but not a single prayer in the world could save him from being seen.

"Is that you, Niwa?" Satoshi's monotonous voice came from behind him.

"Ah!" Daisuke jumped and turned in place as stiff as a board. "Y-yea. Hi, Hiwatari." He laughed a bit, glancing to the side.

"Good." Satoshi looked back at his book- a different page than before, one that marked times and dates, "I'm glad to see my research was correct; I found that you take this route home from school every day." Daisuke felt his cheeks flush- sure, it was a bit unorthodox, but Satoshi was taking an interest in him.

"W-why did you need to know that, anyway?" Daisuke asked with anticipation.

"I, uh, needed to talk to you in private..." Satoshi hesitated on his words. As he adjusted his glasses again, Daisuke could see how fast he was blinking.

'Whoa. This isn't like Satoshi. Why is he so flustered?" Daisuke thought. '...Maybe...'

"Yes?" Daisuke practically whispered.

Satoshi stood still a moment before grabbing Daisuke's arm and turning to speed-walk into the streets. As they weaved through the crowds of people, Daisuke assessed what was happening; he wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he hoped for his best-case scenario- maybe Satoshi would make the first move?

He led Daisuke into an unpopulated alley and stopped, still facing away from the red-head.

"H-Hiwatari... What's going on?" Daisuke couldn't control his blushing one bit- and it seemed Satoshi couldn't either.

As Satoshi turned, Daisuke saw his feelings conveyed on his face in red, lighting up his once pale complexion.

Daisuke couldn't move as Satoshi leaned closer- he was paralyzed by his own desire for this one thing.

He could feel the heat from Satoshi's lips now, and followed suit by leaning in as well.

* * *

There was a loud sound from Daisuke's door frame,

"Dai, time to get up! You'll be late for school again if you don't hurry!" Emiko turned and began the trek down the steps, "Honestly, Daisuke..." was all Daisuke heard before he went to check his pulse- too fast.

"Haaah..." He attempted to slow it down by breathing steadier, but that did little to help him. "That dream again..." he whispered to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do NOT own D. N. Angel or any of it's characters! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

Daisuke's mom's words were true- if he didn't hurry up, he'd definitely be late for school for the umpteenth time. Glancing to the clock, by his bed, he saw it was already 6:30- school would start in less than an hour!

"No, no, no, no!" Daisuke threw the sheets aside and ran to his closet, stripping his pajamas away on the way there, then pulling his school uniform on as he rushed down the stairs.

Backpack in hand, he grabbed a piece of toast, bit into it, and flung open the door,

"Bye!" He said nervously, hiding his still-red face.

Before anyone had a chance to utter a word, the door was slammed shut again.

Daisuke ran quickly, giving no rest to his already pounding heart. Every time he had those dreams he would have to find some way to avoid Satoshi _all day _or he would transform; he knew this from experience, seeing as this was how Dark confirmed his sneaking suspicions in the first place. Daisuke usually ran into Satoshi several times in a school day though, so this was _always_ fun...

Hopping off the diagonally climbing cable-car he began his trek once more, now filled with a bit more energy from the short rest during the ride. But it didn't help much that he was getting a sickly feeling in his stomach that things were going to go wrong today, more so than usual. Something just felt off, and he was trained so that his senses were never wrong. But he tried his best to ignore it for the time being and focused on getting to school on time.

School, once he had gotten there, went just as he expected it to- hard to get through un-changed. He _did_ run into Satoshi; because of this, he had to sprint all the way to the school's gym and into a back room so there would be no witnesses to his transformation.

**"Oh, Daisuke,"** Dark smirked, **"that's cute."**

'Hey!' Daisuke snapped. Guess the teasing wasn't done, he thought.

**"… Hey, come to think of it,"** Dark looked out the window of the room, **"we have to steal something Saturday that reminds me a bit of this."** He turned and threw a thumb at one of the many indoor pools.

'Yeah, I think mom said it was called 'Kagamine'?'

Dark nodded. His face was serious,

**"I wonder how many people will show up this time."**

'I swear, that's all you ever care about sometimes!' Daisuke said in reply to Dark's vanity. 'Some thief you are...'

**"Come on! That's half the fun!"** Dark grinned. Daisuke sighed,

'Well, lucky for us, it's the end of the day. Maybe we can get out of here without anyone catching us.' He shrugged off Dark's antics. But as soon as the thought came from him, a large crowd was heard scuffling their way.

"Hey," a girl said, more than giddy, "I've been training really hard! Ya' think I'll beat my last time?" Another girl chimed in,

"Totally! And hey, maybe I will too! I _have_ been training with you."

You could almost feel her lift an eyebrow.

"Not a chance ladies!" One boy teased.

The swim team was there for after-school practice tonight!

'Oh no, we're trapped in here!' Daisuke panicked.

**"Daisuke, calm down,"** Dark said, unamused. The red-head took his advice and noticed something.

'Wait! There's-' Dark interrupted once again by pointing his thumb behind his shoulder to a very present door '... A... Door.'

Daisuke sighed again.

**"I could've told you that,"** Dark said raising an eyebrow. **"Man. You've been getting more and more absent-minded by the day,"** he laughed, turning to exit the room.

'Oh, be quiet!'

Dark ran through the outdoor pool's grounds, hopping the fence once he reached it, and continued on toward an empty alley.

* * *

Back in his own body, Daisuke turned to start back home.

**'Um, Daisuke?'** Dark said, his figure in front of the red-head slightly. Daisuke stopped,

"Yeah?" he asked.

**'Aren't you forgetting something?' **the thief smiled teasingly. Daisuke thought, his eyes moving to the rooftops that covered the alley only barely. Then it hit him.

"Oh! We have to go check out the next artwork we were gonna steal, right?"

He circled back around, heading to a new destination.

**'Yeah. But I don't get why Emiko's having _us_ do it today…'**

"We've done it before, probably just for a change of pace," Daisuke guessed.

**'Yeah,'** Dark agreed, **'maybe.'**

"Hm? _Maybe?_"

Dark was silent. Daisuke took that as the end of the conversation and walked in the direction of the next site he was to steal from.

Late fall was upon Azumano, bringing newly colored leaves and almost-winter air with it; they blew through the rustic streets, chilling the citizens of the town near to the bone.

Daisuke's fall uniform gave little protection from the cold- Azumano Junior High's uniforms _rarely_ gave any protection from _any_ of the elements. He put his bag over his back to shield it a bit more from the oncoming wind.

The red-head allowed himself a few moments to imagine how comforting it would be if Satoshi was there with him, talking about how terrible the day was and him uttering sweet nothings to condole with him... But he stopped after a time.

As the leaves fell onto him and the rest of Azumano, he entered a rustic and gothic-looking church. The artwork he was to steal was housed here, in a place that had a long-standing tradition for keeping pieces inside- it used to be a very famous church, but when people stopped visiting for services, caretakers thought it was best to put it to a better use.

As soon as he opened the door he saw that they had a small, or rather very _large,_ problem.

'Ah, Dark?' Daisuke dared not to talk out loud.

**'Yeah,'** Dark said,** 'That's a _bit_ of a problem. Looks like we'll just have to seal it here, there's no way we'd be able to get this home- no matter _how_ much Emiko wants it,'** Dark laughed. So did Daisuke,

"I think I get why she sent us out instead now. She probably thought-" Emiko appeared in a small thought bubble above Daisuke's head- "There's no way I was going to go all the way out there when I knew I couldn't have it! So I'll just leave it up to the boys to do it!" They were both in hysterics before Daisuke realized how many weird looks he was getting. He stopped laughing quickly and continued on to read the plaque stationed in front of the artwork,

"Staring into the water-like surface gives the viewer a chance to relax and reflect on their inner demons..." Daisuke paused a moment, looking toward Dark, "Interesting choice of words."

**'There you go with the demon thing again,' **Dark rolled his eyes.

As he focused on some of the smaller print, the red-head noticed a tiny triangle standing away from the plaque's frame; it was the same color, but added a bump that was unneeded in a rectangle. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking as he, in less than the blink of an eye, stole the triangle from the frame.

When he had pulled it away, he realized it wasn't a triangle, but a small, folded piece of paper. Daisuke was puzzled as he unfolded and read it through.

_Dear Kaitoh Dark, _

_ Based upon your latest pilferings, I have determined that this is the next likely place you would come to. If my assumption was correct, then I would like to issue a challenge- I want to face you alone, without the police's interference. If you accept those terms, leave your calling card where you found the letter. If not, leave it somewhere obvious enough._

_ I'll be waiting._

_ -Chief Commander Hiwatari_

'That's kinda odd- how did he actually know where we'd steal from next?' he asked Dark, finishing his mental read-through of the short letter.

**'Who knows?'** Dark said mysteriously. **'But leave it up to Hiwatari to get it right.'**

'Yeah...' Daisuke thought on the last sentence- "I'll be waiting." His heart skipped a beat, 'B-but doesn't this seem too convenient- for both him and us, I mean. I think it's a trap.'

**'Maybe, but it's rude to say no when he so _graciously_ invited us,'** Dark smiled his trademark smile.

"Haah, fine."

Daisuke pushed the letter into his bag and whipped out a card. He quickly flicked it into place under the plaque so that it bumped out just as the paper had. He turned to leave, "You just _can't_ resist the attention, can you?"

* * *

It was now Saturday night, and the time on the calling card was fast approaching. Daisuke packed a few tools for the job in a sturdy backpack.

He held up a wrist-worn grappling hook with disdain, puffing out a cheek. It too was inevitably stuffed into the pack.

Going off in search of one last thing, he accidentally knocked his brown school bag to the floor, sending the letter fluttering with it. Daisuke let out a tired sigh and crouched to pick up the lone piece of paper.

As he straightened, the paper pushed open so as to allow a glance at the words "I'll be waiting." They weren't for him and he _knew_ that, yet the red head couldn't help but feel ecstatic reading them.

He longed to hear them.

**'Why don't _you _go tonight?'** Dark suggested.

"What?!" Daisuke dropped the paper again. "No... No, no, no! I don't want to transform as soon as I see him! Then he'll know I like him!" He evaded the possible confrontation.

**'Well what's he supposed to think with how you've been acting lately?'** The thief pointed out. Daisuke froze; maybe Satoshi _had _picked up on it? Maybe others had too. What was he going to do if that was true?!

His panic rose when he realized how close it was to the time on the calling card. At 10:30, with only fifteen minutes left before the theft, Daisuke left without arguing anymore with his counterpart. With followed, keeping a short distance from the two just in case.

* * *

The red head stood at the top step of the church, nervously checking a watch strapped to his wrist. A slightly large, maroon turtle-neck he wore swayed a bit, just as his mind did now, in the autumn breeze.

As he raised an arm, he saw the maroon sleeve and wondered if he really should have come in his own clothes... Though, he didn't exactly have time to change, and he _was_ just meeting Satoshi here.

"Maybe I should have..." Daisuke looked at With.

"Kyuu?"

He breathed in deeply,

"Why am I making this so hard?" Without another thought, he pressed a hand against the large and- in the night's darkness, it seemed- decrepit door.

As he entered the church, an ethereal, blue light became evermore present as it floated over from the room's far side. It billowed from the artwork he was to seal tonight; the "Kagamine" glowed under its glass casing, seemingly welcoming Daisuke. In the darkness of the church, he could almost see it flowing through the ground like water, but he knew too well it wasn't simply that.

It was the perfect place to reflect, the very meaning of a "reflecting pool."

Daisuke still hadn't seen Satoshi, but stepping out onto the glass covering the surface of the "Kagamine" revealed the chief commander of the police force in a black sweater and loose jeans; his image was faint with the small amount of light it gave off.

That ominous feeling of something bad to come returned- it wasn't just the terror of having to talk to Satoshi mono-a-mono without transforming, it was that weird, gut feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Satoshi looked at Daisuke in surprise, eyes lifted slightly above the rims of his glasses,

"You came as yourself," he said with his usual monotonous interest.

"Y-yeah..." Daisuke glanced to the side, hoping Satoshi didn't think he was acting odd. "So, what did you mean by 'Challenge'?"

Dark wasn't trying to take over, but the red head knew he would transform if he looked at the blunette for even a second too long.

"Well, it was aimed more toward Dark," Satoshi said nonchalantly. With these words, Daisuke felt somehow rejected; he wanted even _less_ to look at the blunette.

Satoshi, on the other hand, just looked unsettled; had he said something bad enough to actually make Daisuke sad? He'd said things like that before with a completely different reaction...

'Of course Hiwatari wouldn't think anything of it,' the red head sulked in his mind. 'Have at it, Dark.'

**'Ya' know what,'** Dark grinned,** 'I think I'll sit this one out.'**

'But he doesn't want to talk to me, he wants to talk to _you!_'

**'So talk to _him_.'**

'But, I...' Dark was silent. Daisuke attempted to look up at Satoshi; he opened his mouth, trying to get some words out, but inevitably couldn't and looked down again.

He sought comfort in the beautiful blue glow- cold and yet soft- of the "Kagamine". Though he hadn't gotten a good look before, he could see just how water-like the artwork was now as it flowed through the ground; he stared deep into it and caught his reflection.

And then he felt hot.

"Niwa, don't!" Satoshi knew he was too late when Daisuke looked up and began to transform in front of him. "Dammit, I had a plan for _that_ scenario too," he said to himself as he walked forward.

Midstep, he was stopped by a pain that clawed its way out of his upper back. He gripped it and yelled at it,

"No! Stay out of this!"

'Oh, Master Satoshi. You don't expect me to sit idly by when our target is _right there,_ do you now?' The pain fought harder to get free.

"Aagh! I... Have my own plans, and they don't involve _you!_"

The pain was seeped out and forced him to the floor. As he screamed, pure white wings threw themselves from Satoshi's body, grinding him further into the ground. His hair lightened, going from its shade of sky blue to a silvery-gray, and finally to a much lengthier dull gold. Standing at a noticeably higher viewpoint, Krad now looked down at Dark- who was barely there himself- from behind golden, cat-like eyes.

"Hello, Dark Mousy," the Angel said, more than hinting at hatred.

**"Still greeting me like a _friend, _Krad,"** Dark sighed as he stood taller. Grinning, he added on, **"You know as well as I do that I'm an enemy."**

Krad laughed,

"Yes. But who says I can't be a little nice before I destroy you?" he sneered.

**"I do; I'm not buyin'."**

The thief stepped back a bit,

**"With!"**

Within seconds he was off the ground with his own black wings.

"Fair enough." Krad pushed away from the ground, reaching for one of the thief's legs. Catching a bit of fabric he threw the other hand around Dark's ankle and dragged him back to the earth.

Slamming harshly into the decorated concrete floor, Dark lost his breath, but not the chance to move himself away from Krad's next assault; a golden light struck the spot Dark was lying at moments ago. The air sizzled and swelled with heat where it had hit.

Krad tsked when he saw he'd missed his mark and aimed again. But Dark was a few steps ahead and threw a handful of feathers at him- glowing, they soared toward Krad. The Angel dodged to the left so that the projectiles landed by the "Kagamine".

This cycle continued with few changes until Krad got tired of missing his target and charged Dark. Slamming into the wall behind them, both angels hid into the smoke that soon engulfed them and continued their battle long into the early morning.

* * *

Finally, the second chapter is out! Thanks to the couple of followers I have and for waiting for the new chapter! Hopefully the next chapter won't take quite as long to hash out. However, if you have any suggestions for this one, feel free to PM me~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**The next chapter is finally here! Thanks for everyone who waited, and thank you to the people who liked and followed my story; it's great to see people actually enjoy my story XD Once again, **I don't own D. N. Angel , nor any of the plot line or characters from it.** If you have any suggestions for the story, shoot me a review or message! Now, let's do Satoshi's P.O.V.!**

* * *

The Kagamine quite literally "allows the viewer to reflect on their inner demons"... By bringing them out.

Satoshi knew all about the artwork's power and assumed Daisuke would take the statement for what it was, seeing as he knew what he did about the Hikari creations.

'I guess I jumped to conclusions too quickly,' the Commander thought as he lay on his bed awaiting a call from his "father"; he knew it would come since there hadn't been a check on his progress in a while.

Waiting on a Sunday afternoon, he had time for all the thinking in the world- he had simply stated something that he would say any other time, so why did Daisuke react so differently? Come to think of it, he _had_ been getting avoided by Daisuke lately, and when he did run into him, the red-head just ran in the opposite direction in a flustered panic- it kind of annoyed Satoshi.

So what could be causing this?

Well, if he had learned anything from those girls that followed him everywhere and confessed their love left and right, it was that they acted like that out of passion and love.

But Daisuke never showed any interest in anyone other than Risa Harada. And Satoshi didn't like men... Right? Granted, he wasn't all that interested in women either... But, no, he just cared about Daisuke and wanted to make sure he was safe. This wasn't a matter of love, this was a matter of making sure someone he cared about wasn't hurt because of him like many others had been.

**'Really now?'** Krad appeared to lean in the room's corner with crossed arms. **'You're as clueless as he is.'**

"Stay out of it, I don't need your opinion," the blunette glowered in the direction of the figure.

**'Oh, but you do; you obviously don't know what you've gotten yourself into-'**

"And just who are you to assume _you_ would know?"

The Angel laughed with mocking tones endearingly, causing Satoshi to sit up with legs over the edge of his bed.

**'There was no assumption, Master Satoshi- only the truth.'**

Krad's figure began to walk over, arms still crossed loosely, his head tilted downward. When Satoshi looked up, so did the figure.

Krad's calm toward the situations that made Satoshi squirm irked him; he wanted, just once, for Krad to feel real terror like he had. We'll see how _he _likes it. Satoshi's counterpart didn't have to debate whether or not he just cared for someone or if it was more, though he was probably just as bad as the blunette when it came to emotions.

No, it was just worry and care he felt for Daisuke anyway- if he caused something to happen to that childish red-head, he would definitely blame himself.

However, Satoshi hadn't ever experienced this kind of thing, so how was he to tell the difference between the two 'cares' he was thinking of? He hated the indecision he felt.

**'Caring is on important factor,'** Krad butted in,** 'and yours is more apparent than you think. I'd say it was amusing if it weren't so pitiful that you don't even see it.'**

"Like you would know either; your word isn't admissible," the blunette denied his reasoning. "Just go to wherever it is you usually go, and stop bothering me."

The Angel laughed at what he probably thought was Satoshi acting naïve,

**'As you wish. Have fun deducing your way out of this, Satoshi.'**

His figure vanished from Satoshi's view.

He was left alone to figure this out.

How did those stereotypical romance plot lines always run? 'I only had to think of him, and I would be happy~'?

"... I suppose it's worth a try."

Satoshi lay back and closed his eyes, giving a better screen to play back awkward moments and bits of school days with the red-head.

There was that one, somewhat anime-like time when Satoshi lent Daisuke his handkerchief; he saw the hand-off of it and the small hand touch.

The time he trapped the two in the freezer at their school and there was a short hug... He supposed that _was_ nice.

Those little speeches about their friendship and the giddy smiles that could always find a way to accompany.

_Ba-bump._

The rooftop lunches they shared lately.

_Ba-bump._

How intriguing he seemed when looking Satoshi right in the eye, giving way to a view of Daisuke's crimson ones- were they always so full of thought?

_Ba-bump._

The bit of joy he got from hearing he was important to the red-head.

_Ba-bump._

Looking back on it, when Daisuke was sad, Satoshi could feel it too.

_Ba-bump._

Just being able to see him and hear his voice, almost like a song, while walking the hallways.

_Ba-bump._

Though the blunette barely knew him, he knew some of the red-head's quirks and little habits, and his personality; he felt as if he had known him for so long suddenly...

_Ba-bump._

...

He couldn't stop the little tingles that danced on his skin or the butterflies that invaded his stomach.

What was happening to him?

* * *

As Monday made its way to Satoshi, he got himself ready to see the red-head he had dreamt of the night before- he had kissed Daisuke and started to un-button his shirt, so upon waking up the blunette was pretty embarrassed.

He had mixed feelings still- was it really love, or love in a sense of caring (although that dream showed more than _care_)? There were so many connotations that Satoshi was reluctant to say he was confused. Not only did he not know what he was feeling, he didn't know where to go next; Daisuke either still liked Risa or had moved on from her. So there wasn't much of a way for our blunette to confess his feelings of love.

If love is what he's feeling, of course!

So Satoshi was in a bit of a rut, here.

He started the small trek from his apartment to the middle school, losing track of time as he tried to get a handle on his situation and stumbled into a daydream; he quickly arrived at his destination on time, but where had the walk gone? Losing time thinking on a topic that shouldn't mean so much to him, not understanding his own feelings... He really didn't like this.

The only thing he did like was the small rush of fear and joy in seeing Daisuke running into the school. Satoshi felt a smile tug at his lips but it dropped away a moment later- how long had he been standing there? Daisuke was _never_ on time!

Satoshi forced himself from his thoughts and back into his usual, cold disposition in order to walk inside briskly behind the red-head. As they met, Satoshi continued to look forward as he put on his mental horse-blinds.

"Ah!" Daisuke said hastily as he noticed his friend. "G-good morning, Hiwatari!" As Satoshi continued his attempts to ignore him, the little thief tripped and fell harshly to the floor.

He knew he should just keep going calmly and not help, but a pang of guilt and worry found its way into him. The Commander sighed,

"Good morning, Niwa," he said, defeated, as he turned and extended a hand to his fallen friend.

Satoshi suspected Daisuke must have been thinking about how this was _so_ not like him- Satoshi's friend blushed an obscure shade of red and, after looking back down, took the blunette's hand.

As their hands met, Satoshi's sparked to life. He liked the feeling of the red-head's skin against his own, but not what it did to him- Satoshi froze. Daisuke's reaction was the opposite:

'He doesn't hate me! He actually _touched_ me! What do I do...? NO DARK, YOU CAN'T HELP!'

The two stood in awkward silence like that for a while until Daisuke, fearing he'd transform, slipped his hand from Satoshi's and bolted to class.

A while after _that_, Satoshi moved again, adjusting his glasses and fast-walking, once again, in the same direction. Upon reaching his home room, he made his way to the back of the class so as not to draw unneeded attention to himself (although a couple of his fangirls marked his unusual tardiness).

Finding his seat before the bell, at which time Daisuke ran in after a stop to the bathroom to hide his transformation, Satoshi shut out everything to think again. His mind was so full thanks to his encounter with the red-head in question. However, there was one question that kept coming up- _why was he so sad to see Daisuke run __from him?_

* * *

He had to make sure, he just had to; if Satoshi _was_ in love, he wanted facts.

There were only a couple of people he could think to ask about all of this: Takeshi Saehara and the crush(?) himself. However, asking either would be problematic- Takeshi would just laugh at him for asking anything romance-related, being as obnoxious as he was, and Daisuke... Satoshi couldn't even think of what to say in order not to give himself away.

The internet is... not very reliable either, the blunette thought, but better that than to be made a fool.

Once at home (or apartment, in Satoshi's case), he opened his laptop and started a search; 'How to tell you are in love' he typed in the search bar. In response, he got a million and one answers:

'Ten Ways to Tell- He's into you!'

'How do i know if i'm in love? Confused XP'

'How to make her fall for you.'

'Being in Love; Article by Doki Doki Waves~'

'-Ways to Tell You're in Love-'

The last one seemed the most straight-forward. Satoshi clicked on that and browsed the simplistic, brown page. After the title, author name, and a short introduction lay a long list of bullet points- he read through each of them:

· Everything your love does is right, no matter what.

'Though he is a klutz and it may take him some time, Daisuke always makes the right decision in the end,' Satoshi mentally supplied reasoning.

· You find yourself wanting to see them more; you're happy to be around them, and may become sad if you're not.

'This morning I almost _smiled_ to see him, running late like he always does... I hated seeing him run away, however.'

· Their touch is like static.

'When I helped him up this morning.'

· You often find yourself caught in a daydream- maybe about a future with you crush, or simply admiring their traits?

He'd had a **very** vivid daydream...

· Flaws? You admire those too.

'God is Daisuke absent-minded and a klutz... But, he could be worse; those things make him kind of _cute,_ actually.'

· When the two of you talk, you can't help but get lost in their eyes.

'His eyes are so beautiful- such an interesting shade of red...'

· You can't keep your mind off of them.

Ever since this started, the boy had been bombarded by thought of the red-head; he had hated it at first, but now he was only scared.

· When you see them or think of them, you get 'butterflies' in your stomach or feel something in your chest.

'That's happened numerous times,' Satoshi thought to himself and started to smile at the idea. But then he suddenly stopped reading, snapping out of the daze he had fallen into, and went to another site. He compared the he went to another and did the same thing.

As he went to one page, one article, one blog after another, his fear was slowly confirmed- they all said roughly the same things.

Satoshi now sat in front of his laptop, scared and confused, but he had no idea why.

With this much evidence he couldn't deny it now- he was in love with Daisuke.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 (UPDATED)  
**

**Been a while, BUT still don't own D. N. Angel or any of it's characters/plot! Small update for future plot at the very end of the story~ I'm not dead yet, just took a very looooooong break, I AM SO SORRY. Thank you so much to all the people who are following this story! I promise not to disappoint you guys; I've been looking into some other ways to add to my writing, so hopefully you'll like how things turn out. The next chapter is finally in the works!**

* * *

"I understand that maybe he's not mad at me after all, but maybe I shouldn't be so excited…" Daisuke looked up at his ceiling, disheartened.

"**Daaiiisukeee, just relax. He doesn't hate you. You know that's how creepy boy works,"** Dark laughed lightly. **"He looks cold and disconnected, but inside, he's probably hornier than you!"**

"D-Dark!"

"**Daisuke! That was quick- your thoughts went zero to sixty like **_**that**_**." **Dark mentally snapped his fingers on 'that'.

"No they didn't!... Maybe zero to twenty-five…"

"**There ya' go. You've gotta accept this if you wanna get past it- just like with me."**

"I know. It's just… How do I even tell him? How do I love another guy?" Daisuke stopped and looked down to the wall, worried. "How do I handle myself with another denial?"

**"Dai, you don't know that he's gonna deny you right off the bat. And that's the fun part about life, you don't know. You put your heart into your confession and see where it goes from there- you did it once before, you can do it again, right? Even if it's not with the opposite sex, you'll figure it out; I wasn't just born an amazing Phantom Thief, was I?"**

"Actually, you kind of were," Daisuke pointed out.

"**Doesn't matter," **Dark said, seeming to smirk.** "Just give it your all and hope for the best. That's how life works, and life is never all bad. You've gotta win sometime."**

Dark was right; Daisuke had always been a magnet for horrible luck. Maybe tomorrow would be his lucky day?

Or maybe some other day- that clock's time looked deadly. It was already nearing midnight, so he had little time to plan a confession.

"… Good night, Dark."

"**Night; make sure to live a little while you're still young, Daisuke. Don't let someone you love slip away because of something that could happen. Take a leap of faith."**

Daisuke smiled at the fact that Dark cared so much,

"Thanks, Dark."

The thief laughed as a 'you're welcome' and said nothing else.

Daisuke kept the smile on his lips as he slept, dreaming about a shared, tired embrace with Satoshi- the red head's face appeared as it had when he fell asleep while he played with the blunette's soft hair.

He felt Satoshi lightly reach for and pull Daisuke's body toward him so he could slowly match their lips together and passionately kiss into one another. Daisuke wanted more of this tenderness.

* * *

Daisuke found himself in despair at the realization that his dream was merely that. He wanted to taste more of Satoshi's lips, feel more of his hair that he could only assume was as soft as it looked and felt in his dreams, take in more of his heat and love.

Love.

Daisuke ultimately wanted that from Satoshi over everything else. But he was terrified to tell his crush. What if he lost him as a friend?

'_Take a leap of faith'_ Daisuke remembered.

He wasn't too good at that… But maybe he could get better.

It was colder today than most of the other days this month, even for autumn; Daisuke threw on another layer before he put on the rest of his uniform and checked the clock. He'd probably be a little early. Maybe today _was _his lucky day…

Daisuke felt a swell of confidence as he ran downstairs to grab a more filling breakfast- a couple eggs from a small pile his mom had made probably several minutes ago.

"Daisuke, you're eating again," Emiko said, surprised but happy. "Is your love interest working out finally?" She grinned.

"How?!" Daisuke shouted. Emiko sighed at her son,

"I may not be a thief, but I'm your mother- I've got _some_ special abilities, you know."

His mom winked at him from behind the kitchen's Island.

Daisuke finished his breakfast a little more leisurely than usually and gathered up his materials for school,

"Goodbye, mom!" He called from the door.

"Bye, dear! I hope it goes well!" She called back.

Emiko smiled endearingly towards the closing door.

* * *

Daisuke took his time getting to school, running occasionally to keep his extra time in place; today was _his_ day. He was gonna tell him. He was gonna walk up to him and say,

'I know you probably don't think of me this way, but I really like you~'

and see where it goes from there. He was going to stop being so afraid. He was going to put it all on the line so he could try and get this one person.

Because maybe he was crazy. And maybe that was love.

He didn't know and he didn't care.

Daisuke stepped onto the cable car he always took after checking in with the operator.

He _did _know that, after he settled in the back of the car, he found himself in a vivid daydream, and he was finally able to enjoy it… Very much.

He continued the kiss that was interrupted last night, but instead of it fading off, it intensified into a bright flame between the two. To try and dull the heat, Satoshi lifted up Daisuke's shirt a bit but decided it wasn't enough and pulled his shirt off all together. He then joined the red head and pushed against him, moving a hand up Daisuke's thigh; he shivered and melted at Satoshi's touch. The blunette overtook the red head completely with another forceful kiss- it was filled with tender love and yet a hungry desire. As the hand reached Daisuke's lowest lower body-

Daisuke blushed very noticeably. Could this actually happen?

…

Daisuke stopped so he didn't transform right there- it took a lot of effort to do so.

He focused on some words he could better use in his confession. Maybe switch 'I really like you' with 'I think I love you'? Well, that might cause a problem if Satoshi took it the wrong way- he was pretty rational.

He soon hopped back off the car and began sprinting a bit- he was almost _flying_. The red head rounded the tight corner leading into his school and soon found himself face-planted into another student's back.

From the second he hit the ground, Daisuke knew who his luck had gotten him to.

"Hiwatari-kun! A-are you okay?!" He started to get up, "I-I'm so sor-"

Daisuke stopped talking when he noticed Satoshi looked flushed and worried. His friend looked away,

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Daisuke was suddenly nervous again. Now was not the time for confessions- Satoshi looked really sick, what if he fainted?

"But you look sick; maybe we should go to the nurse," he suggested.

"No. I'm **fine**, Niwa," Satoshi insisted. The red head felt like a nuisance but said one more thing,

"… Just promise you'll go to the nurse if you do start to feel bad."

Satoshi cheered up some at Daisuke's caring words and his face flashed a bit of red, but then the moment faded from his face.

"I'll be fine."

Daisuke was confused by the mixed signals, but all he needed to know was that what he had said made Satoshi feel better.

"Okay," he smiled and continued on to class blissfully unaware of Satoshi's bee-line for an opposite corner. He knew he'd be early enough that no one would be there to see his internal and external struggles.

* * *

Satoshi pushed himself into the space where two walls met and the pain searing its way from his body back down.

'Krad, stop!' Satoshi thought to his counterpart. 'Don't hurt anyone here!'

'But you know we must destroy that Tamer; why do you keep fighting your family's fate, Master Satoshi?' Krad said with true confusion.

'I don't want to become a murderer! And I especially don't want to-'

"Agh!"

Satoshi couldn't keep his pain in his head any longer and let out a small yell.

'I **won't** become a murderer,' he thought when he had collected himself.

'And why not?' Krad asked his cage. 'Because you've caught a fleeting passion for him?'

"… If it's a reason not to hurt him, then yes," he said out loud again and started to walk off to class.

Krad was silent for a moment, but Satoshi could tell that his counterpart was planning in it.

'I see.'

Krad retreated back to the silence for what Satoshi could only guess was a plan to… He didn't even want to think of Daisuke getting hurt by his family's curse again. He hadn't felt the pain that Krad had brought on for a little while, but he had been feeling his stomach digesting itself in fear.

Fear? Him?

* * *

Daisuke wasn't hungry when the lunch bell rang; too many thoughts were in his head, and even though he knew they were stupid to be worrying about, he still was.

Why wasn't Satoshi in class? He's never late.

'Did he actually have to go to the nurse's? Or maybe he went home- no one mentioned it though. And, my confession…'

Daisuke looked down at his desk as he sat in deep thought. Why was he so worried? Satoshi was okay before. He suddenly felt his stomach drop,

'What if he collapsed before class!?' He thought a moment, '… N-no, calm down, h-he's fine…'

"Niwa, are you okay?"

Upon hearing his name in a heightened state of paranoia, he looked up to find who had called it.

"Whoa! Niwa, what's wrong?" Riku asked, followed by Risa prodding,

"Yeah! You look pretty pale!"

Her face was uneasy.

"Ah, I'm fine. I just need to go… Somewhere," Daisuke got up quickly and ran out of the classroom.

"Niwa, wait!" Riku called after him. "Augh!"

The older twin ran after the red head, and the younger twin followed with a muttered,

"Why do I always get dragged into other people's problems?"

By the time Riku and Risa caught up to him, Daisuke was already to the nurse's room and fearful that he hadn't seen Satoshi in there.

"Haah… Gotcha…" Riku huffed out.

"Come on Niwa," Risa started before taking a big breath, "what's wrong?"

"Hiwatari," he replied.

"What about him?" Riku asked, finally collecting herself.

"He wasn't doing too well this morning and I told him to go to the nurse's if he started feeling too bad. But he's not here and no one mentioned that he went home."

"Oh no," Riku said, realizing something. "He wasn't in class today, was he?"

"No, his fangirls were worried too," Risa confirmed.

Daisuke nodded.

What if he's _not_ okay…

"Let's go find him," Riku said, turning to open the door.

"Y-yeah, he's got to be here somewhere!" Risa said, sensing that her sister was trying to comfort the red head. Risa grabbed Daisuke's arm and pulled him out of the office.

"We'll split up to go find him, 'kay?" Riku said to the two in front of her in an 'okay gents, game-time' voice. "Risa, you go left, I'll go right. Niwa, try searching the upper floor until we get there, then we'll join you. Let's find him!"

Risa smiled at Daisuke and he tried to smile back a bit. She then nodded and ran in the specified direction, and Riku ran to the other, leaving Daisuke to have a moment to gather his emotions before he took off as well.

Daisuke wasn't sure where to start; he decided to do a sweep of the halls. He knew that Satoshi wouldn't be in any other classrooms, so he skipped those. He checked the bathrooms and closets in case Satoshi had to fight off a transformation, as well as the art room since that was where they first talked about Satoshi's love of art.

He quickly checked each place he could think of, but he didn't have much time left to look before the next class…

No, he had to find Satoshi.

Daisuke thought of places he hadn't checked: the gym, the office, their classroom. All places on the first floor…

The roof.

He sprinted to the stairs that led there; they should have been barred off in some way, but he knew Satoshi was too smart for that. The red head looked at the door that was open ajar and felt his chest decontract. He opened it and instantly saw Satoshi standing by the railing, looking up to the sky. Daisuke couldn't stop himself from yelling,

"Hiwatari!"

The bluenette looked over to see Daisuke running at him at top speed; he looked terrified.

"Stop! Stay back!" He yelled.

Daisuke did so, but he was still happy that he had found Satoshi, so he didn't quite register how harsh the bluenette had sounded.

"Hiwatari, you weren't in the nurse's office or in class, I got worried you'd collapsed. Are you okay?"

"You don't need to worry about me. Please, leave."

"I **am** worried though," Daisuke found himself saying to a surprised Satoshi who grew to look more distraught than anything. "You kinda just disappeared…"

Satoshi looked hesitant,

"… Why are you worried. I can handle myself."

"Because I-"

'Should I say anything?' Daisuke thought to himself. 'Now may not be the best time. But, I may not get a _better_ time- we're on the roof alone, together. But what if I make his condition worse by freaking him out?'

Daisuke breathed in deeply as Satoshi continued to listen for an answer- the red head thought that was a good sign, good that he hadn't walked off.

"Because I… I think… No, I _know_ I love you."

Satoshi froze with a surprised expression on his face.

"All friends love each other," he said robotically. "That's how it works, ri-"

"No," Daisuke interrupted, "I mean in a _romantic_ way. I know you might not- probably _don't_ feel the same way, but I wanted to put it out there."

He had said what he planned to and left it up to fate- Daisuke felt a bit better, but was now nervous about the answer he would receive or even the next reaction.

Satoshi's response was as simple as glazing over and saying,

"I'm sorry, but I don't."

Nothing else was said.

Satoshi walked off to the door and went who knows where in the same stupor he had responded in, not changing a single expression.

Once Satoshi's footsteps could no longer be heard, Daisuke breathed harshly out, tired.

"… Well, I took a leap of faith, Dark."

'**What?' **Dark asked, confused, as he woke up.

"My grappling hook failed again."

Dark sighed empathetically,

'**It'll be okay. You'll find someone, Dai; I can't stay here to bother you forever,'** Dark joked in a light tone of voice to try and comfort his counterpart.

"Yeah…"

Daisuke walked dejectedly back inside and downstairs to his next class. Just as the bell rang, he made it to his seat, greeted the teacher with his class silently, and drowned out the sound of the hour with his own thoughts.

"…Remember, class, tomorrow is the haunted house trip! We'll have partners posted before we leave- stay with your partner at all times…"


End file.
